Every year millions of people fall ill and suffer from nasal and throat symptoms triggered by flu, cold, bronchitis, pneumonia, strep, and other bacterial and viral infections. A trained doctor may be able to diagnose the patient in part based on his visual observations during an examination. With the right diagnosis, a patient can begin an appropriate treatment plan and get well.
Unfortunately for many, the first step on the road to recovery outlined above begins at a physician's office. Millions of forego the doctor for a myriad of reasons. Some avoid doctors due to financial burden. Others avoid doctors because they don't know how to select one. Some avoid doctors because they don't want to spend the time, or because they are too tough to need one. Many of these people would likely consider treatment if they could avoid the trip to the doctor's office.
Therefore, it would be advantageous to have a simple, non-invasive device that allows for easy diagnosis for various ailments of the throat that could be used by a patient, doctor, or other treatment provider. It would also be advantageous to provide such a device that worked with smartphone or other portable computer device.